Tribal by Jessica Walker

A walk in Jessica’s gallery is like a trip to a photographic Archibald.  Portraiture is her element and her photos are cleverly composed.  Jessica skillfully capture’s both mood and personality of her models.  She can equally utilise both vibrant and more subdued colour palettes, seen primarily in the bold makeup of the models. 

However, more than just the elegance and emotion that can be found throughout her photography, Jessica seems to be at the beginning of exploring a strong concept.  Her work “Plastic” shows an awareness of the serious issues surrounding female identity and self-esteem.  The violent use of the syringe being stuck into the model’s lip as she cooly, but passively stares at the camera is indicative of the increasing crisis of low self-esteem that has forged a reliance on cosmetics in many people’s lives.  This is added to by the used syringes around her neck which suggest a history of usage.  I look forward to seeing more of her work and her continued exploration of such themes.

 I suggest a look at “Ophelia II”, “Rainbow Face” and “Frozen” as an introduction into some of her work, or her gallery.